[Boutique] Wang Lihong Oxford University Speech

Thank you all for the time, thank you for your late classmates, and thank you for coming in quietly.

Before starting today, I want to first mourn the victims of the Sichuan earthquake and the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. Let us pray for them in a minute.

thank you all.

Dear students from the Oxford University Debate and the Oxford University Asia Pacific Students' Union, I never imagine that I will meet you in this way. There are no guitars and erhus, no exaggerated stage costumes and no "full fire" head. But last week I did perform at the O2 Arena in London. I don't know if you have seen it. However, in all respects, these are closely related to our topic today. That is - introducing Hualiu music.

In fact, whether I like it or not, I am considered to be a representative of the music and movies. So today, I am going to do a "State of the Union Address" report. However, this "nation" is not Oxford, but a union of East and West. I want to talk to you about what we are doing to introduce Chinese music into Western society, whether it is achievement or not. I will be honest. At the same time, I would also like to take this opportunity to leave you with such a mark: the importance of soft power communication and how relevant it is to each of us.

I believe that everyone is familiar with the term soft power. This concept was proposed by Rhodes Scholar and Oxford alumnus Jose phNye.

It is defined as an ability to "attract" and "convuse."

Shashi Tharoor defined it in a recent TED talk as "a culture that allows other cultures to be influenced and loved by this culture after listening to his moving story."

I really like this definition.

But I want to explain the word in a way that is close to what you are doing as college students. In my opinion, the East and the West are to some extent, like two freshmen who have just entered the school.

Two almost strangers suddenly came under the same roof, one of them was always afraid that another would take a bath with him, or when he wanted to learn, he would open his body.

This relationship is likely to become the same as hell, isn't it? The story of "My roommate is the best" is all told. I have heard of these things. And I know that many of the students here at Oxford are right one by one, but when I first went to Williams College, I was not lucky, and my personal safety was worrying.

I had such a best roommate at the time, let us call him frank for the time being. This frank is the kind of person who seems to have no other hobbies other than smoking marijuana. And he smokes every day.

There is a two-foot-long pipe under his bed that keeps pointing. To the classmates who speak Chinese, he said that he would open the firepower of the pipe every day.

I might be the opposite of BillClinton at this point. BillClinton is the kind of "I tried marijuana, but I am not addicted." I don't smoke marijuana, but I suck and suck every day, and it is still used. The strange thing is that as long as I am in our bedroom, I will end up being late for class. I don't know what's going on. I was the one who sucked marijuana at the time. Hey, is it already ten o'clock?

How many of you have had roommates like Frank? Or, you are like him. So having a roommate may be the beginning of a disaster. But it may also create an extraordinary friendship. Frank dropped out of school the following year. So I changed two new roommates, Stefan and Jason. Today, the three of us are iron buddies.

Looking back at my analogy, we are roommates in the East and the West. Should it be the existence of frank, or imagine Stefan and Jason? I think at the time, at the time, in 2013, we should strive to become the latter. We should, I mean, I think we can reach a consensus on this goal, right?

Then, go back and face our situation in reality. Take a look at the recent headlines: "Foreign Policy" magazine, "China's victim plot: Why Chinese leaders are so skeptical about the United States" or AFP's financial magazine Bloomberg Businessweek said, "Yes, China The army is testing you."

This is especially funny, let me show you this cover. Yes, there is a lot of panic! There is the right direction, um, right. There are too many negative things about China today. The fear of China is very serious. I think this phenomenon is not only a misinformation but also a misleading. This is terrible, super scary.

So, how do Chinese people view the West? We call the Westerners a wide variety. Everyone knows: Hong Kong people call them "sneaky", literally "old demon." Mainlanders call them foreigners, literally "barbarians." There are also Taiwanese who call them "red hair." I really can't finish it. Does this look like a room-friend relationship that can develop into a best friendship? I think we have to cure the disease. As China's strength continues to grow, it is more important to see what it should be. Because, in the final analysis, this is the purpose of higher education.

This is why we sit here: have the ability to think independently and choose independently. Of course, China cannot be defined by the headlines. It is not just a fast-growing economy under the so-called special policy. China is not just a world factory, it is not just a future superpower. The meaning of meaning in China is much greater than this. A nation with a population of more than one billion and a rich history and legend. As a common product of Chinese and Western cultures, I especially want to help develop a mutual understanding between the two cultures and build a very good relationship.

But everything has two sides, so I think there is a love story behind it. I said that the "love story" is not completely laughing. Because I believe that these stories about love can save us and bring us together. The theme I am talking about today is to restore the relationship between the East and West through popular culture. There are wood projects that are so ambitious! I will find a way to understand.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that in the world of music, there is no need for language to communicate. This is the power of music. This is the power of the human heart. By carrying forward the art, we can better understand the civilization and culture of other nations. In this age of turmoil and discomfort between people, we need to use the power of music to better understand each other.

The UN Secretary-General believes that we need more music. I agree with this point. Music and art have always played a very important role in my life. The power of music and art can help build relationships between people and use inclusiveness, friendship and love to drive away fears caused by ignorant hatred. My own childhood experience is one of the best examples of promoting music between cultures.

I grew up in Rochester, New York, and hardly speak Chinese. I can't even tell the words "Taiwan" and "Thailand." That is true! I was an American at the time. Until I was in the third grade, one day on the playground, the inevitable thing finally happened. Because of the Chinese blood, I was ridiculed for the first time. Of course, the children who play together will make fun of each other, but this time it is absolutely different. At this point, I immediately felt it. Let's take that child for the time being BryanM. It began to laugh at me and said, Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees, come see. You actually laughed, I was too hurt! Ok, I just made a joke. I can still remember my feelings at the time. I feel particularly embarrassed, especially embarrassing.

But I was laughing all the time with everyone else. I don't know what to do when I am young. It felt like the soul was out. It seems that I can laugh at the Chinese with other American children on the playground. I am one of them. Is this idea desirable? Of course not desirable, and it is a big mistake.

That was the first time I felt a cruel and realistic fact. I belong to a minority group, but that is not the last time. In Rochester, that era, Asia had a particularly small population, accounting for almost one percent of the local population.

I was very confused at the time, I really wanted to beat bryan. He made me fall into that dilemma, so I have to make him sad. But he is taller than me, and his shot is faster than me. If I fight with him, I will be even worse. We all know this. So I endured it. I have never told anyone. Did not vent any feelings. I have been holding on to myself, and I want them to be in my heart. Later, slowly, these feelings were very subtly cured in the music. It was no coincidence that I was more and more comfortable with violins, guitars and drums at that time. I gradually discovered that when I play or sing, other children will forget my race or my skin color. And really accept me, understand the real me, even if it is only a small meeting. Whenever this time, they will find that I am the same person as them. I am also full of curiosity and imagination about the world. I also need love.

When I was in the sixth grade, guess who pulled me into his band as a drummer? Yes, it was Bryan, I promised. So Bryan and I formed a small rock band in our country: Nirvana. Really, I am not kidding. Our band was there before the Nirvana band of Kotkoben. So when the Nirvana band debuted, I was still awkward with Bryan. Hey, he hijacked our name! So at such a small time, I discovered the charm of music. Of course, this fascination is one of the reasons why I still love music so far. That is, music can break the gap between people, allowing us to see each other's similarities so quickly, rather than the differences. Later, I went to high school and I learned more. Music is not just about communicating with each other, just like I am connected with Bryan through music. It is also a powerful force that affects others and inspires others.

SamWayne is the guard at our school. He is a Vietnamese national. Almost never speak English. Sam worked as a cleaner for twenty years in our school, wiping the floor and sweeping the toilet. I have never spoken to the students. The students never talk to him. But one day, on the eve of our school's annual music festival, Sam found me with a letter in his hand. I was terrified, and my heart wondered, what would the guard Sam ask me? So he handed me the letter I have saved so far. At first glance, it is a scribbled handwriting written in trembling. All are capital letters, the letter says, I have been a doorman for so many years in this school, you are the first Asian boy I have ever seen as the lead singer. I am going to take my six-year-old daughter tonight to see your performance. Because I want her to see, we Asians can also bring a lot of positive energy. I was really shocked by the letter. I was shocked when I was fifteen. I first realized that music was so important.

At Bryan, he made two children who were already enemies a friend, but in sam, the meaning of music surpassed the individual's category and reached a better level. Music affects people I don't even know at all in ways I can't think of. I am grateful to the guard sam from beginning to end, which cannot be described in words. He is really one of the people who helped me find my life goals. I never knew a small act of mine that could have such a big impact on such a Vietnamese national who never even spoke English. Pop culture, music, and any way to tell stories, including movies and TV shows, are so important to connect us. For example, Bryan and I are really influencing us and inspiring us.

Looking back at this joint of the East and the West, there is a soft power bias. What is the soft power exchange between the two "roommates" of the East and the West? Is there an English song that is very popular in China? Of course. What about English movies? That's too much. Most of China has to restrict the introduction of Hollywood movies to create some successful opportunities for local films. Then, in turn, is it a Chinese song that is very popular in the West?

Audience: Jiangnan style! Wang: Haha, yes, there are movies. For example, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, that was 13 years ago. I think there is an imbalance in this. I think this is a soft power deficit, so let's call it. When we look at this direction, that is to say, the influence of the West on the East is far greater than that of the East. Forgive me for using the words Eastern and Western to be so casual. This is convenient because it is better than saying that a country with English as its first language speaks Chinese or Cantonese. I am using a generalized expression. I hope you can understand.

This imbalance in the impact of popular culture is actually a very interesting question. Imagine that in any healthy relationship, whether it is friendship or marriage, it is important that both parties work hard to understand each other, right? This exchange of soft power requires a balance.

So how do you do this? As a Chinese pop culture ambassador, I have to ask myself such a question, why is there such a soft power deficit? Is it because Chinese music is really bad? Please don’t answer this question. I can see that some of you are definitely swearing: Don't complain! Write the first song! Can the bird do not do it? In fact, there is some truth behind this.

One way of saying this is that the content we create is not sufficiently internationally competitive. Why not? Then, let’s take Korean music as an example. The Korean economy is export-oriented. Their vision is facing the world.

In fact, they must also face the world. Chinese pop music, by virtue of its domestic development and tour in Chinese-speaking countries and regions, can be strong. China, precisely because it is a big country with huge market potential and 1.6 million people with more than one million people, Chinese music does have a tendency to internalize and falter.

Therefore, the idea that Chinese popular music lacks the sensitivity of competition in the international market is established. But I think the other side of this topic is more interesting, more thought-provoking and more real. That is, Western audiences are not familiar with Chinese music. Therefore, I don't know how to enjoy Chinese music. It hurts people!

The reason why I think this argument actually stands up is because I happened to have experienced it. Therefore, I still have a certain say on the question of how Westerners learn to appreciate Chinese pop music. Before the age of 17, I was an Asian child in the United States. After 17 years old, I became an American child in Asia. The situation is completely reversed.

I used to listen to BeatieBoyz, LedZeppelin, qiāng flowers. But after I arrived in Taiwan, I often listened to music and thought, how does this music feel a little rhythm! Where is the gorgeous guitar solo! So, as an American child in Asia, I was just beginning to get in touch with Chinese music. Yes, this music is too inferior, I don't like it. I think these songs are too weak. The production value is too low. These singers are not as loud as AxlRose or Mariah Carey. Until one day, I listened to the first Chinese concert in my life. It is Yu Chengqing, Harlem. At the Taipei Music Center.

When he performed, I saw the expressions on the audience's face, the eyes and their warm response to the music. I finally knew where the problem was. It's not that Chinese music is missing, but I can't listen and appreciate it properly. When I saw the crowd under the stage singing with Harlem and completely immersed in his music, I realized that I didn't understand it very well at first. I should start learning how to comprehend them now.

How to listen to music with "local" ears. I began to deconstruct, analyze, and what makes the Chinese audience resonate with a certain melody, the structure of the song, or the lyrics. I have been doing this for the past two decades. It’s a long way to go, and I’m still learning.

From a certain moment, I can not only appreciate Chinese music, but also start to make my own contribution. Start experimenting and creating your own style. As a look, everyone will be like this. If you only look at the problem from your own point of view, you will always feel that the outside world is very strange. You always feel that others are different. What happened to them? How can I listen to these things? And what I want to say is that as long as you step out, you will gain something. And I used my own personal experience to prove that this can be done. As a Chinese music ambassador, I have been working hard to make people open to acceptance, music that may not sound like it at first, so what else can we do to reduce the imbalance in this popular culture?

For example, speaking for the Oxford Asia Pacific Students' Union, or opening a concert outside of China? But really, in fact, I think this imbalance is beginning to happen subtle, slow, careful, cautious changes. . You can see that there are many cross-cultural exchanges in China. Foreign businessmen gradually regard China as a treasure. In recent years, there are many multinational companies and cooperation achievements. Iron Man 3, countless Transformers, Resident Evil... has really become a world pop. Culture is over. This is exactly what I am looking forward to and what I have focused on recently. Before we had the Japanese, Korean, and Chinese, this world is now slowly emerging. This is the world stream, I think. Yes, I really like the saying that the world stream is not world music, not like... Before HMV there was a category called world music. A bit like the classification of the "Ethnic Musicology" course at the Conservatory of Music.

But the world is not like this. This concept breaks the stereotypes and breaks the boundaries of art that have always hindered us. It's like a big melting pot, a mosaic puzzle. If we look closely, we can appreciate the different styles and characteristics of each culture. So, by what way can we hear the "world stream" music? There is no such a world music magazine or a platform, unfortunately, of course, these should be there.

But fortunately, we have the Internet, such as tubing is a backbone to promote the world of music. Aunt Susan is popular with the British Talent Show. Her success is not through the network of record companies or music circles, but the grassroots route. The Jiangnan style is also a great example of a cultural phenomenon that sets off a global frenzy. So the world flow means a kind of popular culture around the world that can be shared by all human beings and provides us with a common point.

So today, what is my call? I want to help promote multicultural exchanges between East and West. I think I have already expressed this very clearly, but how do I do it? I feel that you can all debut, so that's it. I am joking. But if you become a singer really what you want to do, it's a different matter. I am here to call on you, please be sure to establish a roommate-like friendship between the East and the West. And you can protect this friendship as much as you can, cherish it and have it. Don't run from Taiwan to Oxford University. When you exchange students, you only get together with Chinese students all day long. You said that you are doing this right? You are in Wuhan, in Nanjing, you can do it right when you are in your hometown.

Those headline parties, those clichés, those super-nationalism, don't buy their accounts. You should learn to judge by yourself. This principle also applies to the study of East and West. Let's figure out the ins and outs of each piece, think independently, and don't listen to those things that are too small. If one day, you can ignore the advocacy of the government, ignore the media's manuscript, and argue that it is only for the truth, using the weapon of "critical thinking", can you build that friendship? By then, Everyone is an independent individual. Is the individual no longer a faceless person belonging to a certain race or country? We can certainly do it. This is the goal and the ideal. This is the original heart of romantic artists and musicians. It is also a kind of friendship that I want to achieve. For this reason, the power of music and art is so powerful, so true. It is these forces that have caused the barriers of the Yokohama to collapse. Those we create artificially between each other, government or nationality, skin color. Black, brown, yellow and white, no matter which skin color. It is also these forces that allow us to one-way our hearts, our fears, our hopes, our dreams. In the end we will find that the "Far East" is not so far away. The West is not all wild.

By understanding each other's popular culture, you can explore each other's hearts and touch each other's souls. If you are just about to embark on this journey of connecting things, I sincerely invite you to join me in this fantasy journey. As a person with some experience on the road between China and East, I have prepared a collection of cassettes for you, which contains ten Chinese pop music I love. Look, you feel it. I originally prepared a CD for each of you today, but my team kindly reminded me that it is illegal to do so. As a professional album producer, I can't do this kind of thing. However, the links here are still very useful, because you can also see the corresponding MVs of these songs.

These 10 my favorite songs come from different great Chinese musicians. Let's start with them and get started with Chinese pop music! I think these musicians are great, I hope you can like it too. In the end, I just want to say that now I am on the campus of Oxford University, I really can't help but recall my time at Williams University. When I looked back for the last four years, I found that the most memorable thing was the time spent with roommate Stephan Papiano and Jason Price. In fact, Jason is in the audience. He made a special trip to come to see me from London. I am thinking that at the beginning everyone is still a stranger, we don't know each other, sometimes we will grab the shower and even invade the privacy of others. But I always like to hear Stephen tell the story of his growing up in a Greek family. And what the original Greek dish in his eyes should look like. Or Jason's story, saying that he is eager to make a living on the violin, living in Kramer, Italy, like Antonio Tradiva, and his dreams have really come true.

After many years, I can't forget the scene when I first pulled the violin made by Jason Price, and the touch of my heart at the time. They are always so focused and listen to my growing story with great respect, how to grow up in a traditional Chinese family. My parents are very strict and have been forcing me to study. We will share our stories with each other, but the most important time for the bond between us is when we simply sit around and listen to music, I really feel that our example is that people and people understand each other and live in harmony. model. Therefore, this is why I want to share Chinese music with you today. Because as far as I know, this is the best way to make friendship last forever. And this friendship transcends all boundaries, let us really understand each other and show the truest self.

thank you all!